DUNGEON: Piata Academy Basement TREASURE: MONOMATE, 100 MST, ANTIDOTE Swap one of Chaz's HUNT-KNIVES for Hahn's DAGGER. Hahn will benefit from the attack boost. BOSS: IGGLANOVA If you want to end this fight quickly, use Alys's SANER (to ensure that your party attacks before the enemies) and Hahn's VISION (to increase your critical hit and evasion stats) in the first round. In the remaining rounds, have Alys use VORTEX on IGGLANOVA, and tell Chaz and Hahn to just use normal attacks on any XANAFALGUE that are spawned. You should be able to destroy all of the XANAFALGUE before they have the chance to attack you. IGGLANOVA won't attack you unless 2 XANAFALGUE are already spawned. You should be able to win this battle without getting hit, but if something goes wrong, have Hahn or Chaz use RES on any ally that drops below 10 HP. If you want more money and experience, use Alys's SANER and Hahn's VISION in the first round. In the second round, have Alys use SHIFT on Chaz (to increase his attack power), tell Chaz to attack the spawned XANAFALGUE, and tell Hahn to just defend. In the remaining rounds, tell Chaz to attack the spawned XANAFALGUE, and tell Alys and Hahn to just defend. Chaz should kill all of the XANAFALGUE in one hit, and none of the enemies should be able to hit you. You can continue to lay waste to the XANAFALGUE as long as you wish to effortlessly gain additional EXP and MST. I don't think it's worth it, though. XANAFALGUE are the weakest enemy type in the game and the EXP/MST they give is fairly inconsequential once your party is around level 3. TOWN: MILE Buy the following at the weapon store: STEL-SWORD for Chaz (+7 ATK +2 DFS), 2 SLASHERs for Alys (+7 ATK). Give the spare HUNT-KNIFE to Hahn; he should now have 2 of them. Sell the old equipment. DUNGEON: BIRTHVALLY TREASURE: CRBNSHIELD, MONOMATE, CRBN-SUIT (equip to Hahn) TOWN: MOLCUM Place Rune at the front of the party, as his high DFS will make him a better target for enemies to focus on than the other party members. Exchange Rune's CIRCLET with Hahn's LTHR-BAND, as Hahn will benefit from the increased DFS. Experiment with Rune's magic while he's in the party. GRA is particularly useful; use it whenever you encounter a party of 4 enemies and make everyone else defend. At this point in the game, Alys knows FOI (a fire attack), Chaz should know TSU (an energy attack), Hahn should know WAT (a water attack), and Rune knows HEWN (a wind attack). This makes the TRIBLASTER, FIRESTORM, and BLIZZARD team attacks possible. You can experiment with them if you like. BLIZZARD is effective against monsters in the desert, making it particularly useful throughout most of Motavia. FIRESTORM is more effective against enemies in cold environments. TRIBLASTER is usually equal to or greater than the other two team attacks in strength, but it costs more TP to use, and at this point in the game most of your party members don't have a whole lot to use freely. TOWN: KRUP Buy the following at the armor store: CRBN-HELM for Chaz (+3 DFS), CRBN-SUIT for Chaz (+8 DFS), CRBN-SUIT for Alys (+8 DFS), CRBN-CROWN for Alys (+2 DFS). Sell all of the old equipment except for the CRBNSHIELD, which will come in handy later. DUNGEON: VALLEYMAZE TREASURE: ANTIDOTE, 300 MST If you make it to the end of this dungeon before all of Rune's TP is depleted, it might not be a bad idea to go back in and hang around the exit grinding levels for just a little bit. Just use Rune's GRA during every battle until he runs out of TP and HEWN until he runs out of stock, then continue to the next town. TOWN: TONOE Remove all of Rune's equipment once you make it to this town. Sell all of it besides the WOOD-CANE. (You can use the WOOD-CANE as an item during battle to restore HP to a single ally. It can function as an infinite supply of RES/MONOMATEs, but it can only be used in battle and only once per turn. Sell it only when the HP boost it gives is no longer significant.) Buy the following from the weapon and armor stores: TITN-SWORD for Chaz (+15 ATK +3 DFS), CRBNSHIELD for Hahn (+5 DFS -5 ATK), 2 TITNSLASHR for Alys (+10 ATK), TITN-HELM for Chaz (+3 DFS), TITN-MAIL for Alys (+5 DFS), TITN-MAIL for Chaz (+5 DFS). You probably won't be able to afford it all. This is okay. Save the TITN-MAILs for last. You should equip 2 CRBNSHIELDs to Hahn now (the one you just bought plus the one you retrieved from an earlier dungeon). At this point in the game, Hahn's TP supply should be large enough for him to serve as your party's primary tech user, and when he's not casting techs, he should be using the WOOD-CANE to heal another party member. He shouldn't be relying on normal attacks for any major battles from here on out. Sell all of the old equipment (except Rune's old WOOD-CANE, of course). DUNGEON: BASEMENT TREASURE: MONOMATE, 100 MST, 500 MST, 300 MST, ANTIDOTE, TITN-CROWN (equip to Alys), ESCAPIPE, ALSHLINE This is the first truly difficult dungeon of the game. There's no boss, but the common enemies in here pack quite a punch in addition to inflicting poison and paralysis effects. Save before entering (of course), and put Gryz at the front of the party. If you didn't have enough money to buy all of the equipment before entering, then hang around the first floor defeating random enemies until you do. (Until then, consider swapping Gryz's TITN-MAIL with either Alys' or Chaz's CRBN-SUIT to balance your party's defense, and grab the two treasure chests on this floor while you're at it.) Once you have all of the equipment recommended above, rest at the inn, save the game, and enter the dungeon for real. Hahn should be learning the ANTI tech soon, which cures poison and makes those ANTIDOTEs that you're accumulating from random enemies obsolete. Alys should learn ZAN, making the BLIZZARD combo possible again (with Hahn). Most importantly, with the WOOD-CANE in your inventory, you can have one party member heal another party member once every turn of every battle without using any TP or expendable items. I recommend that you have Hahn do this for the person with the lowest HP on every turn, while the other 3 characters just attack. You could also set up macros for TRIBLASTER and BLIZZARD and use them to lay waste to your enemies quickly. A sidenote about macros: If you use a healing item/tech in a macro, the game will automatically decide who should be healed, and this will usually be the party member who has the lowest HP. This can be a good way to ensure that the person who is in greatest danger gets the attention he or she needs. Once you get the ALSHLINE, you can either escape from the basement on foot or use the ESCAPIPE to teleport outside immediately. If nobody in your party has passed out yet, I recommend leaving on foot for more experience. TOWN: TONOE Once you're back in town, sell Alys' old CRBN-CROWN that you replaced with the TITN-CROWN. Head all the way back to ZEMA from here. BOSS: IGGLANOVA This guy is much easier the second time around, and it's definitely not worth your time to stall for extra experience. Just knock him out with normal attacks. TOWN: ZEMA Before heading back into Birth Valley, buy the following from the weapon and armor stores: BROAD-AXE for Gryz (+6 ATK +6 DFS), 2 GRPTSHIELDs for Hahn (+12 DFS), GRPT-SUIT for Hahn (+6 DFS). Sell the old equipment. DUNGEON: BIRTHVALLY DUNGEON: BIO-PLANT TREASURE: CURE-PARAL, GRPT-CROWN (equip to Alys), CRMC-SWORD (equip to Chaz), ANTIDOTE I recommend holding onto the WOOD-CANE and continuing to use it every turn if you haven't spent more time than you needed to in previous dungeons. It also wouldn't hurt to use RES between battles to restore additional HP for anybody who dips below 30. Chaz should be learning the HINAS technique soon, which can be used outside of battle to escape from a dungeon immediately. (So, now you can sell any ESCAPIPEs you may be accumulating, though it may not be a bad idea to save one for emergencies.) TOWN: ZEMA As you add more people to your party and level up, check the DFS POW stats every once in a while to ensure that the people with the highest DFS and HP are at the front of the party. Head west from here. TOWN: NALYA Nothing of note here besides the inn, though you should stay a night if you still haven't healed from the trek in the BIO-PLANT. SIDEQUEST DUNGEON: WRECKAGE TREASURE: CRMCSHIELD, 1500 MST, DIMATE, CRMC-KNIFE, CRMC-MAIL (equip to Rika, or someone else if the DFS boost would be better served on another character) This dungeon is completely optional, but the treasure that can be found here makes it worth checking out (as is the case with all optional dungeons and sidequests, IMO). The enemies are a bit tougher than those in the BIO-PLANT. I recommend setting up macros for TRIBLASTER, FIRESTORM, and BLIZZARD (provided that your party knows their component moves) and using one of them whenever you're fighting 3 or more enemies. (TRIBLASTER is much stronger against machines than either of the other two.) Hold onto the WOOD-CANE and use it if you need to heal someone mid-battle. Since you also have 3 characters who know RES, have somebody use RES between each battle to keep everybody above 40 HP. Rika should handle most of these healing duties so that Chaz and Hahn can use their TP for offensive techs. Chaz should be learning the RYUKA tech soon, which can be used outside of dungeons to warp to any previously-visited town (makes TELEPIPE items obsolete). Hahn should be learning ZAN, once again making the FIRESTORM combo possible with Alys. Rika should be leveling up very rapidly, learning DBLSLASH in the process. Once you acquire all of the treasure, feel free to use HINAS or an ESCAPIPE to warp outside, as there's nothing of real value to obtain besides that. If you continue to the center of the WRECKAGE, though, you'll get a nifty cutscene that ties into a previous game in the series. And if all of your party members are still conscious, it doesn't hurt to leave on foot and keep fighting for more experience and money. (You'll need some cash in a little bit for an equipment upgrade.) Head southwest. TOWN: AIEDO The large house in the northwest corner of town belongs to Alys. Stay a night here to revive your party for free. You can use the RYUKA tech to warp here whenever you need to, so you won't ever have to spend money at an inn again for the remainder of the game. Head towards the large building at the north area of town. This is the Hunters Guild, Alys and Chaz's place of employment. Eight sidequests will be made available here throughout the course of the game, and the first one is available now. Go ahead and talk to the receptionist in order to take it. Before leaving, search the building for a TRIMATE and 1000 MST. Go to the smaller weapon/armor store (the one closest to the Hunters Guild). Sell all of your old combat equipment along with any excess ANTIDOTEs or MONOMATEs you may still be carrying. (The ANTI and RES techs, along with the WOOD-CANE, make them fairly useless at this point.) Buy 2 SABER-CLAWs for Rika (+12 ATK), STRUGGL-AX for Gryz (+6 ATK +6 DFS), CRMC-HELM for Chaz (+5 DFS), CRMC-HELM for Gryz (+5 DFS), CRMC-MAIL for Alys (+10 DFS), CRMC-MAIL for Chaz (+10 DFS), CRMC-MAIL for Gryz (+10 DFS). Sell all of your old equipment. If you don't have enough cash for all of this, buy what you can, then warp to NALYA and re-enter the WRECKAGE and macro some robots to death for more money. Warp back to AIEDO, heal at Alys' place, and purchase the rest. Make sure you signed up for the Hunters Guild mission and are fully healed and equipped, then warp back to MILE. SIDEQUEST: THE RANCH OWNER (HUNTERS GUILD 1) Everyone in your party should be at at least level 10 (save for Rika, who may be lagging behind a little). Talk to the ranch owner, then set up some macros with the BLIZZARD team attack (WAT+ZAN). I used the following: MACRO A - Rika:DBLSLASH, Chaz:CROSSCUT, Hahn:WAT, Alys:ZAN, Gryz:WOOD-CANE MACRO B - Rika:WOOD-CANE, Chaz:TSU, Hahn:WAT, Alys:ZAN, Gryz:ATTACK MACRO C - Rika:WOOD-CANE, Chaz:ATTACK, Hahn:WAT, Alys:ZAN, Gryz:ATTACK MACRO D - Rika:RES, Chaz:WOOD-CANE, Hahn:WAT, Alys:ZAN, Gryz:ATTACK MACRO E - Rika:RES, Chaz:RES, Hahn:WAT, Alys:ZAN, Gryz:WOOD-CANE It may be wiser to have Rika and Chaz use RES instead of the WOOD-CANE in the above macros, as RES is typically stronger. Use the above macros however if you wish to conserve TP. Make sure your party order is from highest DFS and HP to lowest, save the game, then wander around in the ranch. SIDEQUEST BOSS: SAND WORM (Note: SAND WORMs are immune to all instant death attacks.) This thing is tame for a sand worm, but still a tough boss at this point in the game. He's weak to water-based attacks, though, so BLIZZARD should help take him down. Use macro A above until Rika or Chaz run out of their respective skill. Then use macro B until Chaz's TP falls down to 8. (You should conserve 8 TP for Chaz so that you can warp back to AIEDO after the battle.) From there on out, use macro C as much as possible. If you need to use multiple healing items/techs in the same round, use macros D or E. If you do not have macros set up and wish to attack manually, have Rika use RES to heal, Alys use VORTEX, Gryz attack normally, Hahn use WAT, and Chaz use CROSSCUT, TSU, or attack normally. If Chaz is the one low on HP, have him heal himself, with Rika using DBLSLASH or attacking normally. Getting through this battle with all 5 party members alive is very difficult unless you constantly heal your party members and keep pounding away with water-based attacks. I strongly encourage you to make sure all of your party members pull through, restarting from your last save if one of them is knocked out. The EXP bonus the entire party will get will make the next stretch of the game considerably easier. Chaz should learn ZAN, opening up more configurations for FIRESTORM and BLIZZARD, and Hahn should learn GIRES, a higher-level healing technique. Hahn may also learn RIMPA, which makes CURE-PARAL items obsolete. Return to the Hunters Guild to collect your reward, heal at Alys' house, and head to the cave north of AIEDO. DUNGEON: PASSAGEWAY TREASURE: DIMATE, CURE-PARAL If two ZOL SLUGs merge together, use some heavy hitting attacks to knock out their combined form quickly. TOWN: KADARY Hug the outside of the right wall until you can enter the northeast corner of town. Search one of the buildings here until you find a LASRSLASHR. Equip it to Alys and sell her old TITNSLASHR. Warp to AIEDO to heal and then warp back to KADARY (or just stay at the inn) and continue. DUNGEON: ZIO'S FORT TREASURE: 2000 MST, LASR-SWORD (equip to Chaz), MOON-DEW, LASRBARRIR (equip to Hahn), DIMATE, LASR-CLAW (equip to Rika) After obtaining the 2000 MST and LASR-SWORD, drop into the first large black hole in the floor that you see, and acquire the MOON-DEW in this room. You will be forced to exit the castle. Heal and re-enter. Continue past the hole you fell into, and fall into the next (and final) pit in the floor, collect the LASRBARRIR in this room, and leave/return once more. Set up some macros for BLIZZARD and TRIBLASTER. TRIBLASTER is still generally the best, but BLIZZARD should be used against fire-breathing enemies. You should also be learning several instant death spells at this point: Alys' DEATH, Rika's ELIMINAT, Hahn's VOL, and Gryz's BROSE and CRASH. Though they all have varying levels of effectiveness (VOL being particularly good and BROSE being particularly bad), DEATH can be combined with Rika's ILLUSION to create the LETHAL IMG team attack, which has a very high chance of killing all enemies onscreen at once. Set up a macro for it and use it if you're pitted against 4 enemies at once or enemies that don't die quickly. Chaz's AIRSLASH will attack all enemies at once, so use that against multiple normal enemies as well. Rika should also learn GIRES, further reinforcing her healing abilities. When you reach a red-carpet in a large chamber, approach the man standing at the other end of the room and heal all party members. BOSS: JUZA In each round, have Gryz attack, Chaz use CROSSCUT, Rika use DBLSLASH, Alys use VORTEX, and Hahn use WAT. Have Chaz use TSU if he runs out of CROSSCUT. Have Rika or Hahn use GIRES on anyone in need of healing. (Team attacks aren't worth their cost for this battle.) After the battle, climb the staircase that appears. Climb another staircase in the next room and then immediately remove all the equipment from Alys and Hahn. Investigate the area. TOWN: KRUP Place Demi at the front of the party. Revive the party if absolutely necessary, then head south. There is a regeneration platform in the machine center. These tiles completely revive all party members at no cost to you. Battles in vehicles are a bit different than on foot. The SP for the vehicles completely regenerates between battles, and skill stock regenerates every time the party rests (inn, Alys' house, etc). SIDEQUEST: TINKERBELL'S DOG (HUNTERS GUILD 2) Once you have the Land Rover, the 2nd Hunters Guild mission opens up. Teleport back to AIEDO. Instead of entering the town gates, hug the left wall until you arrive at a building behind Alys' house. Buy one SHORTCAKE here. Enter the Hunters Guild and apply for the job. Enter Tinkerbell's house in east Aiedo for details. Rocky is a fat, white dog and can be found in either KRUP, MONSEN, or TERMI. You can catch him only if you have a SHORTCAKE in your inventory, and it may take two attempts to be successful. Check KRUP first. If he's not by the tool store, then just continue with the rest of the game normally until you find him in one of the two towns you haven't visited yet. Collect your fee from the Hunters Guild when finished, and resume the main quest. Get in the Land Rover, drive north from KRUP, east past the VALLEYMAZE and TONOE, across the quicksand, and into the town of MONSEN. TOWN: MONSEN (Check around the tool store for Rocky if you're searching for him.) Talk to a person on the east side of town to trigger an earthquake. You don't have to shut down the Plate System, but you really should. Androids can only obtain upgrades from dungeons, and some very worthwhile equipment can be obtained for Demi in the Plate System. Head northeast. By the way, if you encounter any random SAND WORMs while on foot, RUN!! They have much stronger attacks than the one you faced previously, and they WILL slaughter your party at this stage in the game. SIDEQUEST DUNGEON: PLATESYSTM TREASURE: REPAIR-KIT, TITN-GEAR (equip to Demi), CRMC-ARMOR (equip to Demi), PHONON (skill for Demi), LASR-KNIFE, LASR-AXE (equip to Gryz), LASRBARRIR, STUN-SHOT (equip to Demi) Some notes about Demi: Her RECOVER completely restores her HP, SPARK instantly kills mechanical enemies, BARRIER increases magic defense, and MEDIC PW revives all fallen organic allies and restores some HP. As there is no boss in this dungeon, feel free to use your party's strongest techs and skills to make it easier on yourself. (ZAN and TSU are typically ineffective against machines.) Have Rika heal anyone who drops below 50% HP. Use Demi's MEDIC PW if anybody falls to 0 HP. Leave if Rika and Chaz run out of TP for healing. (Make sure to save 4 TP for Chaz in case you need to use HINAS.) Once you've grabbed all of the equipment and shut down the main terminal, leave with HINAS. With Demi's PHONON acquired, the SILENTWAVE team attack with Chaz is possible. Get in the Land Rover and drive east, across another patch of quicksand. TOWN: TERMI (Check around the statue for Rocky if you're looking for him.) Sell all of your excess equipment (save for the LASRBARRIRs) at the armor store. MONOMATEs and the WOOD-CANE have probably outlived their usefulness at this point. Buy: PSY-CROWN for Rika (+2 DFS +3 MTL), PSY-MAIL for Rika (+10 DFS +2 MTL), PSY-MAIL for Chaz (+10 DFS +2 MTL), PSY-MAIL for Gryz (+10 DFS +2 MTL). If you can afford 2 PSY-SHIELDs, buy them and sell the LASRBARRIRs. If not, keep the LASRBARRIRs. Stay a night at the inn, then head southwest. DUNGEON: LADEATOWER TREASURE: DIMATE, STAR-DEW, ESCAPIPE, FRADEMANTL (equip to Rune), STAR-DEW, 1000 MST, PSYCO-WAND (obtained after defeating the boss) Energy-based attacks (like TSU) are effective against dark enemies. Attack SHADOWSABRs last; they're usually the weakest enemy type in this dungeon and waste turns casting DEBAN. Use strong attacks against strong enemies; you don't have to save much for the boss. (Try not to use much of Chaz's TP, though.) Set up a SILENTWAVE macro in case you run into 3+ CENTAURs at once. Look out for FLYSCREAMRs, as they will paralyze you. (Paralysis will wear off while walking, but not during battles.) Heal anybody who drops below 50% HP. (Chaz should be learning GIRES soon.) Use Demi's MEDIC PW to revive fallen allies. With Rune back in the party, the BLIZZARD and FIRESTORM combos are once again possible. Furthermore, he now knows the stronger GIWAT and GIFOI variations of WAT and FOI. Set up a macro to utilize BLIZZARD with the weaker WAT, as that will be sufficient for the common enemies here. Also toss out Rune's FORCE-CANE for two shields (either PSY-SHIELDs or LASRBARRIRs), as he will primarily be using techs and skills to attack. Re-order your party with Demi in front, then in order of highest DFS. When you reach the top floor (it consists of a single large room with staircases leading upward), completely heal all party members and walk forward to engage the boss. If you're lucky, Chaz should be at level 17 (and know GITHU). If Chaz and/or Rika have depleted their TP supply, you might want to consider leaving and returning with a completely healed party, as the hike to the top will be easier with Rune in tow. BOSS: GY-LAGUIAH In the first round, have Demi use BARRIER (for magic defense), Rune use GIWAT, Gryz use WAR CRY (to increase attacking power), Chaz use GITHU (or CROSSCUT if he can't), and Rika use DEBAN (for physical defense). In the following rounds, have Demi attack (or RECOVER if needed), Rune continuing to use GIWAT, Gryz attacking normally, Chaz using GITHU or CROSSCUT, and Rika handling healing duties. Have Rika use DBLSLASH if no healing is necessary, and have Chaz handle healing duties if he is the one hurt or if Rika has no TP. Heal the party and warp to KADARY. Re-enter ZIO'S FORT. DUNGEON: NURVUS TREASURE: WAVE-SHOT (equip to Demi), REPAIR-KIT, CRMC-GEAR (equip to Demi), SPACEDARMR (equip to Demi), PLSM-CLAW (equip to Rika w/ LASR-CLAW) FIRESTORM and BLIZZARD are roughly equally-effective against machines, so set up some macros for them (using the lower-level FOI and WAT). You generally should not use much of Chaz's TP (or CROSSCUT) before the boss, however. Use Rune's GRA, Chaz's AIRSLASH, or Rika's DISRUPT if you need to quickly eliminate several enemies at a time. Tell Rune to just defend against weaker enemies, saving at least 60 TP for the boss. Watch out for TOWERs and the FLOAT MINEs they spawn. Use SEALS against TECHMASTERs to prevent them from healing their partners and against GRENERIS to prevent him from using instant kill techs on your party. Rune should learn REVER soon, which revives one fallen organic ally and restores 25% HP (same as MOON-DEW). Have Rika handle healing with GIRES until her TP is depleted by about half, then have Chaz handle it from there. The boss comes after taking an elevator down, following a yellow line in a short passageway leading left, and leading into a large room with a thin metal walkway. Heal the party, re-order everyone in the order of highest DFS (with Rune in front if he has shields), and set up the following macro: Rika: Tech - DEBAN Demi: Skill - BARRIER Gryz: Skill - WAR CRY Rune: Item - PSYCO-WAND Chaz: Skill - CROSSCUT BOSS: ZIO Start things off with the above macro. From here on out, use Rune's GIFOI, Demi's PHONON (or normal attack when she runs out), Gryz's normal attack, Chaz's CROSSCUT (or GITHU when this runs out), and Rika's DBLSLASH (or normal attack when this runs out). Before using DBLSLASH, you might want to use Rika's SANER to ensure that everyone acts before Zio. Have Rika handle healing duties as needed, with Chaz's assisting if necessary. (If Rika knows SAR, you can use to restore some HP for all organic allies at once.) Use MEDIC PW, REVER, REPAIR-KITs, or MOON-DEWs to revive fallen party members. SIDEQUEST: MISSING STUDENT (HUNTERS GUILD 3) Before going anywhere else, check out the Hunters Guild, as this is the last time you'll be able to go there for a while. Take the 3rd mission. Go ahead and sell all of your extra equipment on your way out to unclutter your inventory. Rest at Alys' place. Warp to PIATA and talk to the dorm caretaker. Warp to TERMI and buy a PEROLYMATE from the gift shop. Warp to KADARY and search for the missing girl in the church. Give the innkeeper the PEROLYMATE. Talk to the girl. Go back to AIEDO and collect your fee. Take the next mission. SIDEQUEST: FISSURE OF FEAR (HUNTERS GUILD 4) Make sure the party is well-rested before starting this mission. Warp to MONSEN and talk to the woman in the house across from the large hole in the ground. Save the game and enter the hole. SIDEQUEST DUNGEON: THE HOLE SIDEQUEST BOSS: FRACT OOZE Make sure you heal the party before approaching the visible FRACT OOZE at the end of the cave. Use your strongest attacks on it. Have Rika use GIRES and SAR to heal as needed. Warp outside and then back to AIEDO to heal and collect your fee, then warp to KADARY and head to the SPACEPORT to continue with the main quest. ZELAN TREASURE: PLSMDAGGER, PLSM-CLAW (equip to Rika), PLSM-SWORD (equip to Chaz), CANCELLER, PULSE-LASR (don't equip to Wren just yet), PLSM-FIELD Wren shares several of Demi's basic abilities, including auto-regeneration and recovery/defensive skills. Wren's default weapon (PLSM-RIFLE) is stronger than the PULSE-LASR, but the PULSE-LASR can hit multiple enemies at a time. Equip the PULSE-LASR later, when random encounters begin again. BOSS: CHAOSSORCR You don't need a strategy for this guy. Really. Just KO him ASAP. TOWN: RAJA TEMPL Raja will serve as the party's primary healer now, as that is pretty much all he's good for. He's damn good at it however (seriously, check his tech/skill list), and it allows Rika to focus almost entirely on offense now. Raja's only offensive attack (besides normal attacks) is ST. FIRE, which should be reserved exclusively for bosses. ATARAXIA restores 25% of every organic ally's TP, the only move of its kind. Equip Wren's PULSE-LASR, put him in front, order everyone else by DFS, then head on out. TOWN: RYUON Ask the bartender about the whereabouts of the space ship, then leave. Don't buy anything in this town. TOWN: TYLER Buy: SILVCIRCLT for Rune (+5 DFS -2 MTL), SILV-MAIL for Rika (+14 DFS -2 MTL), SILV-MAIL for Chaz (+14 DFS -2 MTL), SILV-HELM for Chaz (+2 DFS +2 MTL), SILV-MANTL for Rune (+7 DFS), SILV-CROWN for Rika (+3 DFS -3 MTL), 2 SILVSHIELD for Raja (+50 DFS -18 ATK -2 MTL), 2 SILVSHIELD for Rune (+8 DFS -2 MTL). Sell all of your old weapons and protective equipment as you replace them, including Wren's PLSM-RIFLE and Raja's SILV-ROD. Wren will obtain a better one-shot weapon before the next major boss, and Raja will be spell-casting exclusively from now on. If you can't afford all of it, save the SILVSHIELDs for last, as the PSY-SHIELDs can still be of some use. Go to the grave site. DUNGEON: HANGER TREASURE: DIMATE, ZIRC-GEAR (equip to Wren) A fairly straightforward and short dungeon with no boss. Fire attacks work well. Heal at the newly uncovered SPACEPORT and then return to TYLER to sell Wren's old CRMC-GEAR and purchase any equipment you may have skipped. Grind in this area for cash if you need to. DUNGEON: KURAN TREASURE: HIJAMMER (skill for Wren), REPAIR-KIT, ZIRCOARMER (equip to Wren), REPAIR-KIT, 3000 MST, NAPALMSHOT (don't equip to Wren just yet) Reorder the party with Wren in front and the highest DFS characters following him. Rune should have learned GIGRA by now, and Chaz should have learned BROSE. The former is an upgraded GRA, very useful in this dungeon but at the cost of a ton of TP. Use the AIRSLASH and DISRUPT skills to end random encounters against multiple enemies quickly. If you run out, low-level BLIZZARD and FIRESTORM skills are equally effective against these machines, so set up a FOI+ZAN macro. (Chaz should also learn GIZAN soon, strengthening these team attacks, but you should conserve about half of Rune and Chaz's TP for the boss.) Raja should stick to healing or just defending. (Raja's RES is much more potent than the other characters, so don't use GIRES unless you really have to.) Shortly after entering KURAN, Wren should discover the HIJAMMER weapon. This skill allows him to inflict sleep on all enemy machines at once. Watch out for C-RAY TUBEs and SAT.MINIONS, as they have a deadly combination attack. Also dispose of any FLOAT MINEs immediately. Continue through KURAN until the party automatically comes to a stop and begin talking. Before checking out what's in the shadows, completely heal your party and equip Wren's NAPALMSHOT. BOSS: DARK FORCE In the first round, have Wren use BARRIER, Rune use GIFOI or GIWAT (or NAFOI or NAWAT if he's at a high enough level to use them), Raja use BLESSING, Chaz use GITHU, and Rika use SANER. In the following rounds, use Wren's FLARE, keep using Rune's strongest FOI or WAT, use Chaz's GITHU (or CROSSCUT should he run out), Rika's DBLSLASH, and have Raja heal the party as needed (or using ST. FIRE if no healing is necessary). Use GIRES if a single ally is hit, and SAR if the entire party is hit. Have Wren use RECOVER on himself if hit. Revive any fallen allies with REVER, REPAIR-KITs, MIRACLE, or MOON-DEWs. Use ATARAXIA to restore the party's TP. DEZOLIS SPACEPORT Re-equip Wren's PULSE-LASR and use the platforms at the entrance to heal. Sell your old equipment in TYLER (keep the NAPALMSHOT, though), and head northeast to the ice walls. Once you reach the ice wall, drive straight north to a cave entrance. SIDEQUEST DUNGEON: MYST VALE TREASURE: TRIMATE, STAR DEW, SILVR-TUSK (equip to Rika) Short and straightforward, the main point of this dungeon is to obtain Rika's best weapon. It isn't technically as strong as some of the later claws, but it is *extremely* effective against dark enemies and is therefore the most useful in the remaining major dungeons and boss battles. Though you may want to temporarily un-equip it in favor of stronger weapons, never, ever discard or sell it. TOWN: ZOSA Buy: 1 THUNDRCLAW for Rika (+7 ATK), PHANTAROBE for Rune (+3 DFS +5 AGI -3 MTL). Sell all of your old equipment besides the SILVR-TUSK and NAPALMSHOT. Do not waste money on a PHANTAROBE for Raja. You could also buy a FLAMESWORD for Chaz (+15 ATK +3 DFS), but it isn't necessary. The FLAMESWORD is extra effective against enemies in cold terrain, but the PLSM-SWORD is more useful in the next dungeon, and you'll be able to obtain a much better sword immediately after that. Pick it up if you have the cash to spare, but don't waste time grinding for MST if you can't afford it. Head east from here, then northeast through another ice wall. Before entering this building, equip Wren's NAPALMSHOT and Chaz's PLSM-SWORD, then save the game. SIDEQUEST DUNGEON: CLIMCENTER TREASURE: REPAIR-KIT, PULSEVULCN (equip to Wren), 5000 MST, COMPO-GEAR (equip to Wren), REPAIR-KIT, COMPO-ARMR (equip to Wren) Dispose of GY-LAGUIAH with your most powerful attacks (he's weak to WAT and TSU), teleport back to the SPACEPORT to heal if you need to, then return here. Re-equip Wren's PULSE-LASR and continue. Make use of multi-hit skills like AIRSLASH and DISRUPT to wipe out multiple enemies. Chaz should know REVER now, which allows him to revive a fallen ally. Rika should be learning GISAR soon, a more powerful multi-heal tech. Chaz should learn RAYBLADE soon, an extremely powerful light-based sword skill. Most importantly, when Rune learns TANDLE (an electric skill), it makes the CIRCUITBRK team attack possible, which instantly kills all enemy machines. Set up a macro for this one if the component attacks are available. When you reach the boss area (the floor markings make it stand out), equip Wren's NAPALMSHOT and Chaz's FLAMESWORD if you have one. Heal the party and approach him. SIDEQUEST BOSS: D-ELM-LARS You really don't need a strategy. Just unload your strongest attacks on him. After the battle, re-equip Wren's PULSEVULCN, then leave and hop back into the ICE-DIGGER. Head east after breaking through the ice wall. TOWN: RESHEL Nothing to see here. Keep going east. TOWN: MEESE Enter the village and remove all of Raja's equipment. (If you want to dispose of the PSYCO-WAND, equip it to Raja now. You can free up an extra item space this way, but you lose the ability to negate any defensive buffs that enemies use from here on out, which is a useful thing to have against one of the upcoming major bosses. Your call.) Sell all of your old equipment. (Make sure that Wren is holding onto the PULSEVULCN, that Rika has the SILVR-TUSK, and that Chaz has the FLAMESWORD if you bought one.) Buy: RFLC-MAIL for Rika (+4 DFS), RFLC-MAIL for Chaz (+4 DFS). Sell the discarded SILV-MAILs. Enter the building at the southeast corner of town and investigate the place. BOSS: Carnivorous Trees Don't fight. Just run. ESPMANSION TREASURE: SOL-DEW, 10000 MST, RFLC-ROBE (equip to Rune), LACO-ROD Search the first floor for the treasure listed above, then investigate the place. GUMBIOUS TREASURE: SOL-DEW, STAR-DEW, MOON-DEW, TRIMATE Do not proceed with the main mission just yet. Instead, take the first staircase to the right and enter the basement, collecting the treasure listed above. Exit the temple without speaking to anybody and walk to the bordering city, JUT. TOWN: JUT Sell the PHANTAROBE, LACO-ROD, and any other extra equipment you may be carrying besides the SILVR-TUSK. I would also recommend selling all of your expendable items besides TRIMATEs, REPAIR-KITs, and DEWs (perhaps holding onto a single ESCAPIPE for emergencies). Buy: LACO-SWORD for Chaz (+18 ATK +4 DFS), LACOSLASHR for Kyra (+30 ATK -23 DFS), LACO-CLAW for Rika (+12 ATK). Sell Chaz's old FLAMESWORD/PLSM-SWORD and Kyra's old RFLCSHIELD as you replace them. Keep Rika's THUNDRCLAWs equipped for now, and don't worry if you can't afford some of this just yet. (Save the LACO-CLAW for last.) You'll return to this town shortly. Get in the ICE-DIGGER and head west, south once you run into trees, and then west again once you break into another ice wall. Save the game and enter this building. SIDEQUEST DUNGEON: WEAPONPLNT TREASURE: BURSTROC (skill for Wren), PLSMLAUNCH (don't equip to Wren just yet), ELST-GEAR (equip to Wren), ELST-ARMOR (equip to Wren), infinite REPAIR-KITs Ignore Wren's advice and proceed. With Wren and Kyra's multi-hit weapons, you should have less trouble eliminating several minor enemies at once now. Speaking of Kyra, this will be your first opportunity to test her abilities in battle. She knows FOI and GRA techs in addition to FLAELI and HEWN skills, opening up more configurations for FIRESTORM and BLIZZARD. She also has moderate healing abilities, including the MEDICE skill (stronger than her GIRES). Having dedicated fire, wind, and healing skills is useful because it frees up Kyra's TP for other techs as needed. Rune should know how to use NAFOI and NAWAT by now, making him quite a force to be reckoned with. His TANDLE skill is electricity-based and effective against machines. Combine it with Wren's HIJAMMER to produce CIRCUITBRK, a team attack that instantly kills all enemy machines. I recommend using Wren and Kyra's normal attacks and Rune's GRA to decimate any party of 3 enemies in here. Add in an AIRSLASH and/or DISRUPT against any party of 4. Use Kyra's MEDICE skill as your primary method of healing. This dungeon has no boss, but several of the enemies have strong hit-all attacks. Make sure to keep your HP high. (Watch out for LIFEDELETRs.) Wren can acquire the BURSTROC skill from this dungeon, a powerful hit-all fire-based attack. It can also be combined with FOI or FLAELI to create an even stronger fire-based team attack: SHOOTINSTR. You will eventually reach a dead-end at a terminal that produces infinite REPAIR-KITs. Make sure you've picked up all of Wren's upgrades, grab as many REPAIR-KITs as you want, and return to JUT. TOWN: JUT Sell Wren's old equipment. (Remember to hold onto the PULSEVULCN, PLSMLAUNCH, and SILVR-TUSK.) You should now have enough money to purchase any equipment you skipped earlier. Equip Rika with her SILVR-TUSK and LACO-CLAW and proceed with the main quest. GUMBIOUS Investigate the temple. DEZOLIS SPACEPORT When selecting your destination, press B to cancel the shuttle launch instead. Heal the party on one of those healing platforms, make sure you've obtained all of the equipment outlined below, save, and prepare for the longest dungeon in the game. Don't get discouraged if you have to retreat, heal, and return, as attempting this stretch of the game in a single trip without taking a break mid-way or slowing down to grind a few levels is a pretty tall task. It's possible, but it requires effective tech/skill strategy and knowing when a rare healing platform is just around the corner. Wren: ELST-GEAR, PULSEVULCN, ELST-ARMOR (also have PLSMLAUNCH in inventory) Rune: SILVCIRCLT, SILVSHIELD, SILVSHIELD, RFLC-ROBE Chaz: SILV-HELM, LACO-SWORD, RFLC-MAIL Rika: SILV-CROWN, SILVR-TUSK, LACO-CLAW, RFLC-MAIL Kyra: SILV-CROWN, LACOSLASHR, LACOSLASHR, RFLC-ROBE DUNGEON: AIR CASTLE (PART 1) TREASURE: 1000 MST, TRIMATE, 2000 MST, TRIMATE, 4000 MST, SWIFT-HELM (equip to Chaz), GENOCYCLAW (equip to Rika w/ SILVR-TUSK), ESCAPIPE, 8000 MST, SOL-DEW Shortly after entering the castle, you will find an illusion of the 3 mages that blocks access to a healing platform. Much later, you will find another illusion of the 3 mages that blocks access to the castle basement. You can reach the healing platform by entering from the opposite side of the room, and you should definitely try to find your way into this room in this manner. (If you run into the second illusion before you find the healing platform, then you just recently skipped over it.) I recommend hunting down all of the treasure in this dungeon, taking the time to wipe out plenty of random enemies in the process. Feel free to use your entire supply of TP and skills (save for the minimum amount required for Chaz or Rune to use HINAS in an emergency), as you can completely restore your party at will once you locate the healing platform. Once you have obtained all of the treasure (and perhaps gained a few extra levels on top of that if you wish), use HINAS, return to DEZOLIS, heal, save, and re-enter the AIR CASTLE. This time, head directly to the boss. Rika's SILVR-TUSK is vital for this dungeon, as it allows her to one-hit KO enemies that would normally resist all normal attacks, such as DIMENSWORM. Use her DISRUPT skill or Rune/Kyra's GRA to take out large groups of these enemies immediately. Furthermore, the GENOCYCLAW has a not-insignificant chance of instantly killing enemies whenever it is used, so equip it to Rika immediately. Make sure to heal anyone who drops below 100 HP. Use Kyra's MEDICE for this when possible. If Kyra runs out of MEDICE (which shouldn't be a problem if it happens), or if multiple party members need to be healed at once, use Rika's healing techs, as you don't need to save her TP for anything else. Between the two of them, Chaz and Wren's limited healing abilities, and Chaz and Rune's REVER techs, you should have plenty of tools at your disposal to make it to the healing platform in one piece. The level of difficulty you will have against the next boss is almost entirely dependent on Rune's level. Rune's EFESS is an extremely effective hit-all skill against dark enemies, and all of the enemies in this castle, including the bosses, are dark types. He learns EFESS at level 29, and its stock increases every 1 or 2 levels. The more you can use EFESS, the faster you can decimate the bosses. Furthermore, EFESS can be combined with Chaz's already powerful CROSSCUT to create the supremely powerful GRANDCROSS team attack, which is not only more potent than EFESS and CROSSCUT individually but also hits every enemy onscreen. Considering that the next boss encounter is against 3 enemies at once, GRANDCROSS will be the greatest potential weapon in your arsenal. BOSS: XE-A-THOULs Your first objective should be eliminating one of the enemies as fast as possible so that they can no longer use their team attack. Try to direct all single-hit attacks at the same enemy to knock one of them out quickly. Here's what I recommend using for rounds that require no healing, so set up some appropriate macros: 1st round - Rika:SANER, Wren:BARRIER, Kyra:HEWN, Rune&Chaz:GRANDCROSS remaining - Rika:DISRUPT, Rune&Chaz:GRANDCROSS, Wren&Kyra:SHOOTINSTR Rika:GISAR, Rune&Chaz:GRANDCROSS, Wren&Kyra:SHOOTINSTR Make some alternate macros in case you are unable to perform GRANDCROSS and SHOOTINSTR at the same time. If you need to perform extra healing, attack manually instead of using macros. Have Kyra use MEDICE if only one party member is in danger or have Rika use GISAR if several party members are hurting. Have Wren use RECOVER as needed. When attacking manually, direct all of your strongest single-hit attacks (RAYBLADE/GITHU, DBLSLASH, NAFOI/NAWAT, FLARE, and so forth) at the same enemy in hopes of taking one of them down quickly. When using macros, stick to multi-hit attacks (DISRUPT, AIRSLASH, BURSTROC/ATTACK, HEWN, EFESS/TANDLE/GIGRA) as it is impossible to direct attacks manually with macros. Once one of the enemies is destroyed, the battle becomes considerably easier because they can no longer use their team attack. If you manage to pull off both GRANDCROSS and SHOOTINSTR at least once, then you should be able to end the battle in only 3 rounds, possibly even 2 rounds, even if the average level of your party is below 30. A healing platform is located in the room directly ahead. Use HINAS to return to DEZOLIS, heal, save the game, and return to the AIR CASTLE. DUNGEON: AIR CASTLE (PART 2) TREASURE: MOON-DEW, STAR-DEW, ECLPSTORCH (obtained after defeating the boss) Enter the AIR CASTLE and walk straight-ahead, through the rooms that the illusions were blocking earlier, and descend into the basement. This part of the castle is much more straightforward. Again, it might be wise to just pick up the DEWs, gain a few levels (especially if you had trouble during the last boss encounter), and exit to heal and save before returning to tackle the boss. You should be able to identify the boss chamber when you reach it, as it is a large room with nothing more than a single treasure chest in the middle. By the time you're ready for the boss, Chaz should learn NATHU, Rika should learn NARES, Rune should learn NAGRA, and Kyra should learn GIGRA and WARLA. NARES and WARLA will be particularly useful. When you are ready to tackle the boss, heal the party, equip Wren's PLSMLAUNCH, create some macros (check below), and get to it. BOSS: LASHIEC 1st round - Rika:SANER, Wren:BARRIER, Kyra:WARLA, Rune&Chaz:GRANDCROSS remaining - Rika:DBLSLASH, Rune&Chaz:GRANDCROSS, Wren&Kyra:SHOOTINSTR Rika:GISAR, Rune&Chaz:GRANDCROSS, Wren&Kyra:SHOOTINSTR Rika:NARES, Rune&Chaz:GRANDCROSS, Wren&Kyra:SHOOTINSTR Once again, set up alternate macros in case you can't use SHOOTINSTR and GRANDCROSS at the same time for whatever reason. When not using combination attacks, stick to your most damaging moves (RAYBLADE/NATHU, EFESS/NAFOI, DBLSLASH, BURSTROC/FLARE, and so forth). Have Kyra use MEDICE or Rika use GISAR depending on how many people are in need of healing. Lashiec's strongest attack is ANOTHRGATE, a hit-all technique. He can also put party members to sleep (which can be remedied with AROWS or just waiting a few turns). You may have to heal after every round. If you haven't spent any extra time grinding levels at all, multiple ANOTHRGATEs in a row will probably put you out of commission. Make sure you have various DEWs handy. When Lashiec is low on HP, he will use the REINFORCE skill to raise all of his offensive and defensive stats. You can use the PSYCO-WAND to cancel this effect. DEZOLIS Heal the party and continue with the main quest. Re-equip Wren's PULSEVULCN. DUNGEON: GARUBRK TW TREASURE: TRIMATE, POW-SHIELD, TRIMATE, MOONSLASHR (equip to Kyra), STAR-DEW, MOON-DEW, ESCAPIPE, STAR-DEW Though this dungeon is small compared to the last one, it's easy to get lost. Activating some switches on the floor can open up some areas that were previously invisible. If you struggled during the last boss encounter, consider grinding a little before tackling the next one. If not, you should be just fine. Rune should learn NEGATIS soon, a multi-hit instant kill attack. Combine it with GRA to create BLACK HOLE, which increases its accuracy. If you are particularly low on TP and skills by the time you reach the boss, you may want to consider leaving, healing, and returning with a better understanding of the tower layout. Be careful not to get too close to the boss, as that will initiate the battle automatically. If you've leveled Rune up to 35, he'll be able to use the LEGEON skill, which is stronger than EFESS. Continue to use the GRANDCROSS combo when possible, though. Set up some macros, including the ones listed below and some variations in case healing is needed or only one team attack is possible at a time. Also equip Wren's PLSMLAUNCH. BOSS: DARK FORCE 1st round - Rika:SANER, Wren:BARRIER, Kyra:WARLA, Rune&Chaz:GRANDCROSS remaining - Rika:DBLSLASH, Rune&Chaz:GRANDCROSS, Wren&Kyra:SHOOTINSTR Dark Force has one powerful single-hit attack, one powerful multi-hit attack, and one technique that induces sleep. He's easier to beat than Lashiec, in my opinion, because his hit-all attack is not quite as powerful as Lashiec's. When attacking manually, use Chaz's RAYBLADE/NATHU, Rune's LEGEON/NAWAT, Wren's FLARE, Rika's DBLSLASH, and Kyra's NAFOI/GIFOI for those characters who are free to attack. Use Kyra's MEDICE to heal a single ally, Rika's GISAR to heal all allies, and Wren's RECOVER to heal himself. Re-equip Wren's PULSEVULCN and return to RESHEL before continuing. TOWN: RESHEL Sell all of your old equipment (making sure to hold onto Wren's PLSMLAUNCH & PULSEVULCN and Rika's SILVR-TUSK & GENOCYCLAW). Buy: LACOCIRCLT for Rune (+2 DFS +1 MTL), LACO-MAIL for Rika (+11 DFS), LACO-MAIL for Chaz (+11 DFS), LACO-HELM for Chaz (+3 DFS -6 AGI), LACO-CROWN for Rika (+3 DFS). This should be your last equipment shopping spree, as all of the remaining equipment in the game will be acquired from treasure chests. Also of note: MOON-DEWs, STAR-DEWs, and SOL-DEWs can now be purchased at MEESE. They are quite expensive, however. Continue with the main quest. GUMBIOUS Investigate the temple. MOTAVIA Don't continue the main quest yet. Head back to the Hunters Guild to take the final 4 missions offered there. (Do not apply for "Stain in Life" unless you have 50000 MST saved up. Select one of the other three and come back later and apply for it when you have enough money.) SIDEQUEST: STAIN IN LIFE (HUNTERS GUILD 5) Warp to PIATA. Get in the HYDROFOIL and go southwest. Enter UZO. Find the man who commissioned you and get the details. Warp to AIEDO. Go to the prison and free the girls. Talk to them to return to UZO. Return to the guild and collect your fee. SIDEQUEST: DYING BOY (HUNTERS GUILD 6) Warp to TERMI. Buy an ALIS-SWORD. Use the HYDROFOIL to reach TORINCO. (It is located on an island southwest from TERMI.) Find the Culvers residence and take care of the problem. Return to the guild and collect your fee. SIDEQUEST: MAN WITH TWIST (HUNTERS GUILD 7) Warp to TORINCO. Speak with Mr. Sekreas. Head northeast and locate the cave. SIDEQUEST DUNGEON: RAPPY CAVE SIDEQUEST BOSS: KING RAPPY Use your best attacks to dispose of the bird. (Light-based attacks are ineffective. Fire attacks work well.) Have Rika use a DEBAN and Wren use a BARRIER for some extra defense. Return to the guild. SIDEQUEST: SILVER SOLDIER (HUNTERS GUILD 8) Heal, then warp to ZEMA. Find and talk to the old man. Heal again, warp to NALYA, get in the HYDROFOIL, and drive east until you reach VAHAL FORT. Save and enter. SIDEQUEST DUNGEON: VAHAL FORT TREASURE: REPAIR-KIT, PHOTNERASR (replaces PLSMLAUNCH, don't equip to Wren just yet), LACO-GEAR (equip to Wren), LACO-ARMOR (equip to Wren), POSIBOLT (skill for Wren) Your main objective is to collect upgrades for Wren and level-up the party for the next major dungeon. While the common enemies in here pack a bit of a punch, the boss of this dungeon is not particularly difficult, so feel free to use more TP and skills than normal against random enemies. Electric attacks work best (TANDLE, CIRCUITBRK combo, etc). Chaz should learn EXPLODE (an instant kill attack), NARES, and NAZAN soon. Rika should learn NASAR. Rune should learn LEGEON. Wren can acquire his strongest attack, POSIBOLT, from this dungeon. When you reach a large computer terminal spanning the entire length of the wall, heal your party, then talk to the computer to initiate the boss fight. SIDEQUEST BOSS: DOMINATORs These guys are just normal enemies, so pull out your strongest attacks and defensive buffs and you shouldn't have any trouble taking them out. Return to the guild and collect your fee. (Also sell Wren's old PLSMLAUNCH and defensive equipment.) DUNGEON: ISLANDCAVE TREASURE: ESCAPIPE, SOL-DEW, TRIMATE, MOON-DEW, STAR-DEW After obtaining all of Wren's new equipment from VAHAL FORT, heal, warp to KRUP, save your game, and use the HYDROFOIL to reach the island cave. Feel free to use as much of Seth's skills as you want, and put him at the front of the party so he takes the most damage. He's only going to tag along with you for the duration of this cave. Conserve the other characters' TP and best skills, however. It would also be wise to put Rune at the back of the party from here on out. Though he has higher DFS with shields, his HP is much lower than that of Rika and Chaz. Once you reach the exit at the summit and before you enter the temple, remove all of Seth's equipment, heal the other members of the party, and save. Wren, Chaz, Rika, and Rune should have learned all of their attacks by now (the final of those being POSIBOLT, NAZAN, NASAR, and LEGEON, respectively). Equip Wren's PHOTNERASR and Rika's SILVR-TUSK and GENOCYCLAW. Set up some macros for a boss fight. 1st round - Rika:DEBAN, Wren:BARRIER, Rune&Chaz:GRANDCROSS, Seth:ATTACK 2nd round - Rika:SANER, Wren:POSIBOLT, Rune&Chaz:GRANDCROSS, Seth:ATTACK remaining - Rika:DBLSLASH, Wren:BURSTROC, Rune&Chaz:GRANDCROSS, Seth:ATTACK Rika:DBLSLASH, Wren:FLARE, Rune&Chaz:GRANDCROSS, Seth:ATTACK Create alternate macros in case Rika or Wren need to heal. Save the game and retrieve the AERO-PRISM from the temple. BOSS: DARK FORCE Have Rika handle all healing duties with GIRES and GISAR (or NARES and NASAR if needed). When attacking manually, use the party's strongest attacks (Wren's POSIBOLT/BURSTROC/FLARE, Chaz's RAYBLADE/NATHU, Rune's LEGEON/NAWAT). If only Wren needs to heal, have him use RECOVER while Rika uses DBLSLASH. This incarnation of Dark Force doesn't have the strongest attacks, but he does have annoying status-inflicting abilities. He can put your party to sleep or lower their agility. If someone falls asleep, just continue the battle like normal until they wake up. If your agility is lowered, have Rika cast SANER again. Sell all of Seth's old equipment and head to the SPACEPORT. RYKROS SILENCE TEMPLE TREASURE: GUARDSHILD (save for Hahn), GUARDSWORD (equip to Chaz), TELEPIPE, TRIMATE Grab the treasure in this building, then head northwest. It might be a good idea to use the ICE-DIGGER for travel. DUNGEON: STRENGTH TOWER TREASURE: MOON-DEW, GUARD-ROD, GUARD-CLAW (don't equip to Rika just yet), GUARD-CLAW (don't equip to Rika just yet), MOON-DEW, PALMA-RING (equip to Wren), MOTA-RING (equip to Rika), DEZO-RING (equip to Rune) You won't receive the final 3 treasures until you defeat the boss. Keep Rika equipped with the SILVR-TUSK and GENOCYCLAW for the duration of this dungeon. Replace both of them with GUARD-CLAWs only once you find the boss. (I *think* the GUARD-CLAW is more effective against the boss than the SILVR-TUSK, but I'm not sure.) Also, equip Wren's PHOTNERASR when you find the boss. BOSS: DE-VARS Don't bother with GRANDCROSS, as these guardians are resistant to light-based attacks. Have Wren attack normally, Chaz use RAYBLADE, Rika use DEBAN, and Rune use LEGEON. On the next round, have Rika use DBLSLASH and keep using the same attacks for the other characters. Have Chaz use NATHU if he cannot use RAYBLADE, and have Rune use NAWAT if he cannot use LEGEON. Have Rika and Wren handle healing like usual. Re-equip Wren's PULSEVULCN and Rika's SILVR-TUSK + GENOCYCLAW, along with the 3 rings you receive. Consider heading back to MOTAVIA or DEZOLIS to sell any excess items that may be cluttering up your inventory at this point (remembering to keep Wren's PHOTNERASR, Rika's GUARD-CLAWs, and the GUARDSHILD). Heal at the Silence Temple and head southeast. DUNGEON: COURAGE TOWER TREASURE: STAR-DEW, STAR-DEW, GUARD-MAIL (equip to Rika), GUARDARMOR (equip to Wren), GUARD-ROBE (equip to Rune), ALGO-RING (equip to Chaz), RYKR-RING Once again, the final 2 treasures are awarded after you defeat the boss. Make sure to equip Wren's PHOTNERASR before talking to the boss. BOSS: SA-LEWS Use Wren's BARRIER and Rika's SANER in the first round. Attacks to use: Chaz's CROSSCUT, Rune's LEGEON/NAWAT, Wren's normal attack, Rika's DBLSLASH. This boss has several strong multi-hit attacks, so make sure that you have a plentiful TP supply for healing or a lot of recovery items. SA-LEWS knows LEGEON, and repeated uses of it will cripple your party. Re-equip Wren's PULSEVULCN, return to the Silence Temple, and watch the story unfold. DEZOLIS Once again, sell all of your excess equipment. Keep: Wren's PULSEVULCN & PHOTNERASR, Rika's SILVR-TUSK, GENOCYCLAW, and 1 GUARD-CLAW (sell the other), and the GUARDSHILD. Sell all expendable items besides STAR-DEWs, SOL-DEWs, and REPAIR-KITs. Continue with the main quest. DUNGEON: S.SWORD CV There is only one type of common enemy in this cave (two if you're playing the Japanese version, though). Hack and slash your way through the cave until you reach a statue. Un-equip the GUARDSWORD before examining it. Return to Rune in order to heal yourself if you need to (you shouldn't have to). Before returning to the SPACEPORT, sell the GUARDSWORD. SPACEPORT Watch a cutscene or two. It's time to pick your 5th party member for the last stretch of the game. From best to worst, in my opinion: Raja (dedicated healer, allows Rika to attack more), Hahn (knows more techs/skills than any other character, opening up several new team attack possibilities), Demi (high HP, auto-regeneration and moderate assistive healing for the rest of the party), Kyra (jack of all trades, master of none), Gryz (brute physical force is not particularly helpful). If you're feeling particularly gutsy, you can proceed with the rest of the game without a 5th party member. You should have the following equipment: Wren: PALMA-RING, PULSEVULCN, GUARDARMOR (with PHOTNERASR in the inventory) Chaz: ALGO-RING, ELSYDEON, LACO-MAIL Rika: MOTA-RING, SILVR-TUSK, GENOCYCLAW, GUARD-MAIL (with 1 GUARD-CLAW in the inventory) Rune: DEZO-RING, SILVSHIELD, SILVSHIELD, GUARD-ROBE If you go with Raja, sell his rod and buy him 2 SILVSHIELDs. If you go with Hahn, replace his dagger with the GUARDSHILD. If you go with Demi, swap her LACO-ARMOR with Wren's GUARDARMOR. If you go with Kyra, replace her LACOSLASHR with a MOONSLASHR (if an enemy drops one for you). Consider giving her 2 shields for the boss as well. If you go with Gryz, replace his LACO-AXE with a DEFEAT-AXE (if an enemy drops one for you). Go ahead and select your 5th party member, but don't proceed to the final dungeon. There's one more sidequest to address, and you absolutely should not skip it. Head back to RYKROS, drive southeast towards the Courage Tower, then west to a new tower. SIDEQUEST DUNGEON: ANGER TW TREASURE: GUARD-MAIL (equip to Chaz), SOL-DEW, MEGID (tech for Chaz obtained after the boss) Grab the treasure, clear the dungeon, and leave. I won't spoil any details, but I'll give you a fair warning: Refuse the offer given to you. MEGID is by far the strongest attack in the game. Once you have it, head to MEESE on DEZOLIS and stock up on STAR-DEWs and SOL-DEWs. If you lack REPAIR-KITs, head back to the weapons plant to produce more of them. Fill your inventory to the brim with these 3 restorative items (you should have enough cash), sell Chaz's old LACO-MAIL, and head to the hole between PIATA and MILE on MOTAVIA. FINAL DUNGEON: THE EDGE This is a very short, straightforward dungeon with no treasure. Try to obtain a MOONSLASHR or DEFEAT-AXE from an enemy if either Kyra or Gryz is in your party. Test out your 5th party member's newly acquired techniques and the new team attacks that they can create. (For reference, Chaz learns his final attack at level 37, Rika at 40, Rune at 35, Hahn at 37, Gryz at 25, Raja at 34, and Kyra at 40. Android skills are acquired only from treasure chests in dugeons, and Chaz's MEGID is acquired from the Anger Tower.) Various teleporters connect the floors of the dungeon together. When you reach a floor that is nothing but a straight walkway leading upward to another teleporter with no branching or turning paths, you're only one more floor away from the boss. Watch out for the random enemy PROPHALLUS on the bottom floors, who is actually Dark Force from Phantasy Star I. (His name should probably be PRO-FALZ or PRO-FORCE, as in PROTO DARK FORCE, but whatev.) He's immune to instant death attacks and fairly tough to beat for a common enemy, but he does yield a lot of EXP. Fight some of them if you need to grind, and test out several of your attacks and combos on him to see what works best, as he is weak to the same types of attacks as the boss of this dungeon. When you're ready for the boss, it would be best to go back to the SPACEPORT, heal the party, create your macros for the boss, save the game, re-enter The Edge, and head straight for the boss without engaging in any random encounters so that your HP and TP are conserved. Wren should equip the PHOTNERASR for the boss, and Rika should equip the SILVR-TUSK and a GUARD-CLAW. FINAL BOSS: THE PROFOUND DARKNESS I'm not going to go into in-depth strategy for this boss, as by this point in the game you should be knowledgeable about all of your party's attacks and adept at handling bosses of the dark variety, especially if you've been following this guide up to this point. PD has 3 forms. Set up your defenses and buffs (SANER + BARRIER + DEBAN/BLESSING/WARLA) in the first rounds and save your best attacks and combinations for the final form. The final form has about 13000 HP, a strong single-hit normal attack, the powerful MEGID hit-all tech, the ability to put your party members to sleep, and the annoying CANCELLING skill, which completely negates your defensive buffs (same effect that the PSYCO-WAND has against enemies, FYI). Depending on how much HP the boss has remaining, you may or may not want to spend another turn setting up your defenses again. Use Chaz's MEGID as much as possible on the final form (and Raja's ATARAXIA to restore Chaz's TP when he runs out). I've gotten through this fight at an average level of 40 without using any items, so it shouldn't be too hard. Use your DEWs and REPAIR-KITs as needed, and good luck!